You Are Responsible for Yourself.

I was scrolling on social media and saw this post (left image) which read, “grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 18, and find line 4.”

At the time, I was reading a digital download of “Freedom From the Known“ by Jiddu Krishnamurti. I did as instructed, and this was the sentence that I found. As I look back on it, it was a really good sentence to land on:

“and nobody else is responsible for the world and for yourself, for what you think, what you feel, how you act, all self-pity goes.”

And I think that’s an important concept to for us to internalize. To really live by this thought-process is such a mindful way of living.

Here is the paragraph that it sat within for further context:

“So you see that you cannot depend upon anybody. There is no guide, no teacher, no authority. There is only you – your relationship with others and with the world – there is nothing else. When you realize this, it either brings great despair, from which comes cynicism and bitterness, or, in facing the fact that you and nobody else is responsible for the world and for yourself, for what you think, what you feel, how you act, all self-pity goes. Normally we thrive on blaming others, which is a form of self-pity.”

So, yes – I’d say humans are social creatures, and being a part of a community can certainly improve your quality of life. But the overall takeaway is that it starts and ends with us at the individual level. We have to always be responsible for ourselves. When you can function better as a person, you bring a lot more to the collective.

Image captured by me at Green-wood Cemetery